Last night's fire

I have a feeling that I'm going to miss this when I get an EPA stove.
There's just something about sitting there watching the fire and having nothing between you and it.

 

Awesome fires! I'll build mine up as temps drop.

 

And that sums up the battle I had with my wife and daughter when I first proposed wood heat. Our house never had a fireplace but that's what the women wanted. They rejected out of hand the idea of a big black metal box in the living room and I refused to even consider putting in a traditional fireplace and sending all the BTUs up the chimney.

It wasn't until I discovered the soapstone stoves that they softened on the idea of a woodstove. When I located a used Woodstock Fireview locally they gave in when they saw it. They thought it was really attractive.

Now that we're upgrading to the Beta unit of the Woodstock Union/Steal Hybrid, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed. Even though the design is really cool and custom, its still a big metal box as far as they're concerned, and its going to be a good bit larger than our Fireview.

 

Having a big massive warm spot in the house ends up solving a lot of complaints. My wife was not a fan of the first stove and was very picky about what we should buy. But, once I got my foot in the door with the first stove, chit was a lot easier moving forward.

Now, it doesn't matter if the damm thing is pink, covered with christmas lights, and plays Rick Astley 24/7, as long as the promise of rediculous heat is made, it's fine with her.

 

How well does the NZ3000 work for you? What type of burn do you get out of it? Is it any different than the 6000?

 

How many cords do you go through a year total and how many go through the 3000?

 

Having 2 stoves in the house does make a difference. Having a third in the shop is Heaven.

 

The light show an EPA stove puts out is just amazing. Far better than a fireplace in my opinion due to the long lasting coal bed ! It's just amazing.[/quote]


Yeah, I know there's not a lot of love here for the old stoves, but for now, it's what I've got.
I know all about the EPA stoves, as most of the people that have made it to this forum have been well educated in their usage. I plan on getting an EPA stove by the end of winter, but until then, I'll use what I have.

One thing I can say about my stove is that it's operating performance is the best it's been in the 7 years I've been using it. I have it sealed up tight as a drum and installing an in-line fan speed control switch has worked wonders.
On a 30 degree night, I can load the stove at 10:00 and the house is 75 degrees when I wake up at 7:00, with plenty of hot coals to easily get a fire going again. I've never had the stove operate this well. even this early in the season.

But yeah, I'll have an EPA stove soon enough and should no longer have to be told how I'm doing it wrong.

 

I don't think anybody here thinks you are doing something wrong with an older stove Norky, just commenting on how the newer ones are and some of differences. I loved my old stove and like you I had it tightened up and dialed in. I was getting about the same burn as you just mentioned. I would probably still be running mine if the flue chamber hadn't cracked. I'm just learning my new one this year and there are things I think I will appreciate about it but also things I think I will miss about the old one. One thing will be Christmas morning with the doors open and the fire crackling.

 

I loved the Vigilant's ability to throw heat nearly immediately. It was painful to stand too close to it. It was amazing. Too bad it ate wood like a greedy, fat bastard.

Oh, and the air controls were less stable than my ex-wife and the two strippers I dated back in the 90s COMBINED.

 

Norky, I'm in the same boat with an older stove.
The first 4 years were a struggle until I was finally able to get it fixed. That's when the learning curve began anew.
Different stove, seemed like.
I've got it purring about as good as it ever will, and it stills isn't doing what I'd like it to.
Got down to about 30 last night, so I put in 9 soft Maple splits before bed. Got it dialed in and went to bed.
House was just under 68 and the stove was at 250 with enough good coals to start another Poplar fire over 8 hours later.
The problem is that it's tough to control the temp. I can usually keep it under 650, but it loves to run right there and sometimes higher.
Don't need all that heat early and late in the season, so..........new stove ASAP.
You are not alone.